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Taking Land Pooling Policy A Step Closer to Reality, DDA Launches Portal For Land Registration

Today there is no bigger public-private partnership in Delhi’s real estate world than that envisioned in DDA’s Delhi land pooling policy. DDA is encouraging landowners on the outskirts of Delhi to pool in their land to meet the housing needs of the rising population.

Taking this vision one step closer to realization, DDA launched the single window web portal where landowners/farmers can register their land by submitting the application. All landowners who possess a minimum of two hectares of contiguous land are welcome to participate in the policy.

Presently, the policy includes ninety-five villages falling in the following five zones: J, K-1, L, N, and P-II. It also includes Najafgarh, Chhawla, Dichaon Kalan, Nangli, Sakrawat, Alipur, Bhalaswa, Ladpur and Jahangirpur areas of the capital. Important sites for land pooling projects are situated in North and West Delhi. These are extensions of Dwarka, Narela, and Bawana development areas.

Bringing in a New Stakeholder

According to Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal, a major feature of the Land Pooling Policy as a new alternative for planned development is its public-private partnership model. Speaking further about the policy, he said that the land pooling policy is to end the present outdated process of large scale land acquisition by DDA in the capital. Development on land acquired under the new policy will provide residential, commercial and every other infrastructure amenity.

He expressed happiness on the fact that from 1968 to 2018 DDA and the government played the facilitator’s role in the land acquisition process. Both DDA and the government will still an important role in providing the infrastructure. However, Mr. Baijal said, this time the development will be led by the private sector with the title of land remaining with the owner. This idea, Mr. Baijal emphasized, rises out of the vision of Master Plan 2021, and hence, cannot be delayed any further.

Portal Will Be The Site of All Major Policy Activity

The newly launched portal is all important for development under the land pooling policy. This is because the entire development process by Consortium/developer entities must be conducted through the Single Window System on the portal. The portal, launched on February 5, will invite an Expression of Willingness to participate in the policy from landowners.

Individual and a group of co-owners can both register their land on the portal and must pay the prescribed fees. Only after the fees is paid, a unique registration ID will be generated for an application – this will remain the same for all future use on the portal. DDA will verify land details submitted in an application, along with other documents, with the concerned departments.

Requirements for Development to Begin

Once pooling of 70% contiguous and encumbrance-free land is achieved in a sector, and revenue records are verified, DDA will invite, through a notice, all the constituent landowners to form a Consortium. As per provisions laid down in the policy, it will be the Consortium’s responsibility to prepare an Implementation Plan. This, however, must be done only after full consultation with all the constituent landowners. They must all also a formal agreement before applying as a single entity to DDA for undertaking development work in the sector.

To encourage maximum participation, DDA has said that they will keep the portal open for six months for registration of land from identified sectors. This is to ensure that planning and execution later happen in an integrated manner.

Housing For All

Also present at the launch of the portal was Hardeep S Puri, union minister of state for housing and urban affairs. He highlighted that development under land pooling policy will provide around 17 lakh housing units.

With regards to floor area ratio (FAR), DDA said that it has decided to reduce it from 400 to 200. This is keeping in view the availability of resources and services, it said.

Of the total 17 lakh units expected from the implementation of the policy, a good 5 lakh will be reserved for people from economically weaker sections (EWS). In order to realize this goal, part of the Housing for All mission, a 15% FAR over and above the maximum permissible residential FAR has been sanctioned.

Resolving Many Concerns

Of the many benefits that the land pooling policy promises to bring, experts are of the opinion that it will definitely curb the menace of unplanned development in the city. This new development under the land pooling policy is also RERA compliant and will ease the burden on unauthorized colonies.

All development under the policy will also follow the mandatory green building norms laid down in the Master Plan. As the minister also said, building bye-laws will be complied with as well by embracing principles of a dual pipeline, maximum use of recycled water for non-potable purposes, rainwater harvesting, zero waste technology, etc.

The Lt Governor offered clarification with regards to good greenfield development and when asked about the brownfield development of earlier colonies which today desperately need retrofitting and redevelopment. He said that brownfield development was an important part of MPD 2014 and that redevelopment of the respective areas in the city will soon be planned.